Openly gay football player Carl Nassib opened up about his coming-out journey and NFL future in a new interview.
In June 2021, the young athlete made LGBTQ+ history when he became the first active NFL player to come out as gay.
“What’s up people? I’m at my house in West Chester Pennsylvania. I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay,” he said via an Instagram post.
“I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now, but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest.”
After that fateful day, Nassib went on to play a successful season for the Las Vegas Raiders. He also used his platform to support the LGBTQ+ charity The Trevor Project with an array of donations.
In a recent interview with Good Morning America, the 29-year-old reflected on his coming out journey and the moments leading up to his groundbreaking Instagram post.
“I stared at the phone for, like, an hour just looking at it, trying to hype myself up,” he revealed. “And the last thing I said, I was like, ‘You know what? For the kids.’ And I like pressed Post.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Nassib revealed why he decided to publicly come out in 2021 after struggling with the idea for 15 years.
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“I came out to my close friends and family like years ago. And I wanted to do it publically because I wanted to stay ahead of the narrative,” he explained.
“I just wanted to own the story and make sure I did it on my terms. One of my biggest fears was that I would only be remembered for being gay. I just wanted to show that it really doesn’t matter – your sexual orientation.”
When asked about his hopes for the future regarding the LGBTQ+ community in society, Nassib stated: “When people come out, they’re coming out of the closet because they’re afraid.
“They have fear that they’re gonna have negative impact on their life, on their relationships, on their job. I just hoped that one day we don’t have those fears – that’s the society I hope for one day.”
Towards the end of his interview, Nassib opened up about his NFL future as a free agent.
Back in March, the former defensive end was let go from the team – which ESPN reported as a financially based decision.
“I think that it was a great time. I have so much love for Las Vegas. It allowed me to do a lot of great things,” he said. “And I think that there will be more, there will be better opportunities in the future.”
Watch Carl Nassib’s full interview here or below.
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